Good question - someone here must know.
1995 Dodge 3500 van with 5.2 l (318) - spark plug recommendations sought
- Thread starter Number_35
- Start date
Thanks, I will suggest to them that I proactively replace the battery isolator.
Good to hear that these engines stand up - this one has 261K km (about 160K miles) on it, and will likely outlast the body.
Good to know it holds 6 qts - it was down near the Add mark so I topped it up, but it sounds like running a quart low isn't too bad.
$800 to 1000 on fuel sounds like a lot, but you can surpass that with hotels and restaurant meals pretty quickly.
Ignition ballast resistors were used with the Chrysler electronic ignitions beginning in 1972, and used into the '90s I believe.
Chrysler & Ford were among the first to directly control the Ignition Coil/s from the PCM.....While others used ICM's & Ignitors.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
You're a good friend. Is the owner mechanically numb or funds challenged to let it go like this?
Yeah, and it works but it's a little scary because it's not unheard of for the coil driver portion of the PCM to fail, then you're looking at a new PCM. I'm gonna guess it's a rare occurrence but still costly if it happens
I liked this vid
Definitely more reliable, just a pick-yer-poison type of scenario: more reliable but really costly in the event of failure, or somewhat more likely to fail but less expensive and easier to replace.....not sure there's a right answer really
I've pondered that trade-off between "rare failure but expensive when it does happen" and "needs regular maintenance but I can fix it cheaply" with the handful of electronic ignition failures my cars have had over the years vs. my cars with breaker points.
I know the EI has many advantages, but I don't dislike points.
The owners are our daughter-in-law's parents. They are incredibly good people, and we are delighted our son married into that large extended family.
They are farmers and bakers, and older than us, and not physically able to keep up with vehicle maintenance. I don't think they have a lot of money. In any case, I paid for the repairs (over their objections), and have asked that they repay me with baking (with an emphasis on pies) and produce.
I was pleased to be able to help.
They bought the camper used perhaps five years ago. It's served them well - I think this is the first time it's let them down.
Yes, I should have known that - had one fail on our '80 Volare wagon. This was in the mid-'90s.
I should add that per the rebuilder, the alternator failure was due to worn brushes. He also replaced the bearings.
The alternator had been replaced previously - it had a Bosch sticker on it.
The alternator had been replaced previously - it had a Bosch sticker on it.
My '79 318 was electronic with the ballast resistor. Went through a couple of them in 225k miles.
I put a set of Gabriels on my van from AutoZone. They had to order them, but they work great on mine... I had a 99 Dodge camper like theirs that I put a set of bilsteins on, but the Gabriels felt better to me. The suspension was tighter on my 93 than the 99 and thats one of the reasons I traded off the 99. Mine has 6or 7 leafs in the rear springs and the 99 only had 5. Never did make it feel better. Had that tail wagging the dog feeling to it. It had half the mileage and the 360 motor.
I checked RA - there are a lot of options for that van. If they want to proceed with new shocks, I'll run the options past the crew here.
I think my vote would be for the Gabriel ultras based on prior bitog testimony from @SteveSRT8 , whom I haven’t heard from in a while. I’ve used several Monroe products, and while I really liked the reflex, it wore quickly. ive also used kyb which was a good experience though a little more costly, and have twice gone with bilstein with inconsistent results for a premium price. They aren’t racing an RV, so a shock that handles commercial work vans well seems like a good option.
edit: and btw, good on you for using your talents with care to help out your daughter-in-laws parents. Family.
edit: and btw, good on you for using your talents with care to help out your daughter-in-laws parents. Family.
Thanks so much - they are excellent people, and I enjoyed being able to help them out.
It's a way to thank them for raising such a lovely young woman - we are so thankful for her. She is a wonderful wife and mother.
I know the older Mopars had the electronic module on the fender, and a ballast resistor too-but that was the older carbureted ones. Guessing a TBI one likely fires the coil off the PCM/computer.
Our '80 Volare wagon with the slant six had an ignition module on the fender. It died, and I replaced it with a $20 used one from a wrecker. When replacing it I noticed it was pretty rusty underneath, and wondered whether the original module was still good but not grounded properly.
We gave that car to a family without a lot of money back in '97 and saw it around for years afterwards.
The only significant repair I ever did in the 5 years we had it was to replace the 2-bbl carb with a rebuilt one. That improved the driveability a lot.
Similar threads
